Do higher financial returns lead to better environmental performance in North America’s forest products sector?

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 2515-2525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Yamaguchi ◽  
G. Cornelis van Kooten
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Us ◽  
Using Data

This study examines the relation between corporate environmental performance and corporate financial (economic) performance in North America’s forest products industry to determine whether there is a firm-level environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). An unbalanced panel of firm-level observations is constructed using data from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and Environment Canada. The analysis focuses on methanol and formaldehyde emissions because these are the only pollutants for which consistent firm-level data are available in forestry. We find strong evidence of a firm-level EKC. The evidence is considerably weaker if endogeneity related to the effect of past pollution on current pollution or endogeneity resulting from a possible circular relationship between rate of return and pollution is taken into account, although the available time horizon is too short to conclude that endogeneity is a problem. Even so, there remains evidence of a negative relationship between financial performance and environmental performance for formaldehyde.

scholarly journals Returns to compensation in trucking: Does safety pay?

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R Faulkiner ◽  
Michael H Belzer
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Motor Carrier ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Motor Carrier Industry ◽  
The Us ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Trucking Companies

Large truck crashes remain a significant problem in the truckload sector of the US motor carrier industry. Employing a unique firm-level data set from a large US truckload motor carrier, we identified two different driver groups hired during two distinct pay regimes. Before-and-after data on wages and safety outcomes created a natural experiment. Higher wages paid to experienced drivers in the new pay regime led to higher driver retention rates. Experienced drivers had lower average crash costs and were more productive during each tenure month. Experienced drivers had a much larger expected discounted net present value when compared with inexperienced drivers. As the previously inexperienced drivers gained additional experience, their crash probabilities and their value began to mirror those of the experienced drivers, demonstrating the value of greater tenure. This research supports ‘safe rates’ public policy because safety pays – for trucking companies, for cargo owners and for society. JEL Codes: J24, J28, J33

Competition and competitiveness in the US airline industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.J. Hannigan ◽  
Robert D. Hamilton III ◽  
Ram Mudambi
Keyword(s):  
Airline Industry ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Resource Heterogeneity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Strategies ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Core Capabilities

Purpose – This study aims to employ a resource-based lens to explore the competitive implications of firm strategies under conditions of market commonality and shared resource pools. Design/methodology/approach – The firms’ core capabilities in these environments may focus on operational efficiency, as firms seek to compete under significant resource heterogeneity constraints. Findings – Using data from the USA airline industry from 1996-2011, we find that price has a positive relationship with firm performance, whereas quality has a negative relationship. Operational efficiency is a driver of both strategies. Research limitations/implications – The study uses US data. Extending the findings to the global setting may require recognizing other competitive dimensions. Originality/value – Firms that focus on non-core activities perform less well. The results offer insights into an industry that has interested strategy researchers for many years and may suggest an application to other industries with similar characteristics.

scholarly journals Job satisfaction and employee turnover: A firm-level perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Frederiksen
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Employee Turnover ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Predictive Approach ◽  
Firm Level Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Satisfaction Surveys

In this article I study how companies can use their personnel data and information from job satisfaction surveys to predict employee quits. An important issue discussed at length in the article is how employers can ensure the anonymity of employees in surveys used for management and human resources (HR) analytics. I argue that a simple mechanism whereby the company delegates the implementation of job satisfaction surveys to an external consulting company can be optimal. In the subsequent empirical analysis, I use a unique combination of firm-level data (personnel records) and information from job satisfaction surveys to assess the benefits for companies using data in their decision-making. Moreover, I aim to show how companies can move from a descriptive to a predictive approach.

US REITs capital structure determinants and financial economic crisis effects

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 556-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Morri ◽  
Edoardo Parri
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Financial Leverage ◽  
Growth Opportunities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Operating Risk ◽  
The Capital Structure

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the capital structure determinants through an analysis of 74 All-Equity REITs listed in the US market from 2005 to 2014. Furthermore, the paper aims at understanding the impact of the financial economic crisis (FEC) among the identified explanatory variables. Design/methodology/approach A fixed effect panel regression model is performed based on Trade-off Theory (TOT) and Pecking Order Theory as a starting point to provide expectations on the relationships incurring among the identified variables. Findings First, while tangibility of assets and crisis evidenced a positive relationship with REITs’ financial leverage, operating risk and growth opportunities variables displayed a negative relationship. Meanwhile, size and profitability did not appear to influence the capital structure. Second, it appears that the positive effects of tangibility of assets and profitability variables on US REITs’ capital structure increased as a consequence of the FEC. Operating risk and growth opportunities variables slightly increased their negative relationship with US REITs’ capital structure after the FEC. The TOT prevails when explaining the economic reality underlying US REITs. Practical implications The paper contributes to the understanding of US REITs’ financing decisions within the US market. The FEC also had a substantial indirect impact on the financial leverage determinants of US REITs, the latter being nowadays more oriented to maintaining a flexible capital structure. Originality/value The paper provides a comprehensive view of the medium-term effect of the FEC on US REITs’ capital structure.

Design Equations for Bod Removal in Facultative Ponds

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Joe Middlebrooks
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Plug Flow ◽  
Empirical Models ◽  
The Us ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Removal Model ◽  
Best Fit

Facultative pond performance data collected for the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) at four locations throughout the USA and data collected by others were used to evaluate the most frequently used design equations and to develop non-linear design equations. Empirical models were evaluated as well as the classical plug flow and complete mix models. The first order plug flow model gave the best fit of all the rational models. The empirical non-linear models did not fit the data, nor did the other empirical models with the exception being the areal loading and removal model. Attempts to verify the models developed with the USEPA data using data collected by others were not successful with the exception of the areal loading and removal model.

Are the costs of pollution abatement lower in Central and Eastern Europe? Evidence from Lithuania

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
RANDALL BLUFFSTONE
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Pollution Abatement ◽  
Abatement Cost ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Using Data

It is often claimed that pollution reductions can be achieved at lower cost in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, because more possibilities exist to update production processes and reduce waste. To date, however, there has been little or no systematic evaluation of what the costs actually are in these countries. The main purpose of this paper is to partially fill this research gap using firm-level data from Lithuania. Abatement cost estimates for key air pollutants are presented based on investments made in Lithuania during 1993–4. The paper also attempts to estimate the demand for pollution directly using data on pollution charges from 1994. Using both methods, it is shown that for at least some key pollutants marginal and average abatement costs are probably substantially lower in Lithuania than in western countries.

scholarly journals Translator Exposure APIs: Open Access to Data on Airborne Pollutant Exposures, Roadway Exposures, and Socio-Environmental Exposures and Use Case Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (14) ◽  
pp. 5243
Author(s):  
Alejandro Valencia ◽  
Lisa Stillwell ◽  
Stephen Appold ◽  
Saravanan Arunachalam ◽  
Steven Cox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Environmental Exposures ◽  
Environmental Health Sciences ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Us ◽  
Airborne Pollutant ◽  
Public Repositories ◽  
Access To Data ◽  
Us Census ◽  
The Impact

Environmental exposures have profound effects on health and disease. While public repositories exist for a variety of exposures data, these are generally difficult to access, navigate, and interpret. We describe the research, development, and application of three open application programming interfaces (APIs) that support access to usable, nationwide, exposures data from three public repositories: airborne pollutant estimates from the US Environmental Protection Agency; roadway data from the US Department of Transportation; and socio-environmental exposures from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Three open APIs were successfully developed, deployed, and tested using random latitude/longitude values and time periods as input parameters. After confirming the accuracy of the data, we used the APIs to extract exposures data on 2550 participants from a cohort within the Environmental Polymorphisms Registry (EPR) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and we successfully linked the exposure estimates with participant-level data derived from the EPR. We then conducted an exploratory, proof-of-concept analysis of the integrated data for a subset of participants with self-reported asthma and largely replicated our prior findings on the impact of select exposures and demographic factors on asthma exacerbations. Together, the three open exposures APIs provide a valuable resource, with application across environmental and public health fields.

scholarly journals Diagnosing cluster competitiveness using firm-level data in the profit—growth nexus framework

2016 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Áron Perényi
Keyword(s):  
Firm Level ◽  
Robust Solution ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Firm Level Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Comparative Examination ◽  
Cluster Level ◽  
Profit Growth

Competitiveness is defined at the level of firms, clusters, regions, and nations. Although researchers have extensively explored the concept of competitiveness in each of these respective categories, an understanding of the relationship between levels of competitiveness is lacking. The simple aggregation of indicators to approximate broader categories of competitiveness is challenged as a robust solution. This paper proposes an alternative solution to aggregating firm-level competitiveness, based on the profit—growth nexus. Using data collected from SMEs in two ICT clusters, the size— profit—growth relationships were tested. Based on 83 Hungarian and 71 Australian responses, positive relationships were found in both samples, demonstrating high cluster-level competitiveness. It is argued that this outcome better represents cluster-level competitiveness based on firm-level data, than other — linear and additive — aggregation methods. However, a comparative examination of the data across the clusters showed significant differences between the results of the two samples, ascertaining limitations for the generalisability of the results.

scholarly journals Global Firms and Global Sheriffs? Why Territory Matters for Extraterritorial Enforcement of Regulatory Regimes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Crippa
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Foreign Company ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Ownership Structures ◽  
Foreign Companies ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Us ◽  
Firm Level Data

International regimes demand states regulate private companies to ensure better governance of markets. Although global firms can evade regulations creating complex ownership structures, a few countries enforce their laws extraterritorially. They prosecute firms regardless of their nationality, like “global sheriffs”. However, these countries only prosecute a fraction of the foreign firms under their jurisdiction. I study this phenomenon focusing on US extraterritorial prosecution. I argue that US authorities are more likely to prosecute foreign companies with US investment. Formally, this is no requirement for the application of American regulations. Yet, it exposes a foreign company to the local public opinion. US prosecutors exploit induced reputational cost to obtain cooperation and retrieve information to build a case. My empirics leverage novel firm-level data on law enforcement under the anti-bribery regime. US authorities are 0.26 more likely to investigate a suspect foreign company when it has investment in the US.

Firm performance, business environment, and outlook for social and environmental responsibility during the economic downturn: findings and implications from the forest sector

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1137-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Hansen ◽  
Erlend Nybakk ◽  
Rajat Panwar
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Environmental Responsibility ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
The Us ◽  
Social And Environmental Performance ◽  
Level Performance

The recent economic downturn severely affected the US forest sector from a macroeconomic perspective but little is known about changes in firm-level performance. In this study we investigate the changes in financial, social and environmental performance of forest sector firms during a period that approximately corresponds to the downturn. We also assess industry dynamism and industry’s view about social and environmental responsibility as a competitive tool. We conducted a national survey of wood, furniture, and paper companies. Approximately 60% of our respondents reported a decline in financial performance during the downturn. With respect to social and environmental performance, customer-oriented actions show mixed trends, employee matters remained somewhat unaltered, community engagement significantly decreased, and engagement in environmental activities significantly increased. Respondents view their operating business environment as highly dynamic and difficult and they do not view engagement in social and environmental responsibility activities leading to either financial or nonfinancial benefits.

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